is not permitted unto them to speak And 1 Tim. 2.11 12. Let the Women learn in Silence with all Subjection but I suffer not a Woman to teach nor to usurp Authority over the Man but to learn in silence I therefore greatly marvel that any Man should assert and admit of such a Practice as Womens Singing and that any Woman should presume to sing vocally in the Church of Christ when he positively and plainly forbids them in his Word for Singing is Teaching Coloss 3.16 and Speaking Ephes 5.19 both of which are plainly forbidden to Women in the Church And besides they are commanded to learn in silence with all Subjection And if this be not Truth I am at a loss how to find it And such as deny the Authority of these Scriptures to forbid Womens Singing do of necessity destroy the Authority of the Word of God and leave us destitute of a Rule of Worship But some may say Were there not Singing-Women in the Time of the Law True we read of Singing-Women but as there was no Institution of them amongst the Priests and Levites who were set apart by Name in their several Orders so we find them no where concerned as such in the Worship of God but either for Mirth and Delight or as Mourners for the Dead in which they were very skilful in making of Lamentations both by Voice and Instruments of Musick as was the Jewish Custom which you may plainly see by these Scriptures 2 Sam. 19.35 2 Chron. 35.25 Jer. 9.17 18. Amos 5.16 Eccles 2.1 8. Mat. 9.23 V. Of the Order of Singing This we have plainly and clearly delivered to us in 1 Cor. 14.26 to 34. How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Let all things be done to Edifying Here the Apostle speaks of the several Gifts of the Holy Spirit and lays down a general Order for their Delivery 1. The Tongue must be by two or at most by three and that by course And let one interpret that is That in case there were many could speak with Tongues they should not all exercise to take up the whole time with that Gift but only two or three of them and that by course or turns And if any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his Peace for ye may all prophesie one by one the Dutch translate it one after another Here is the Rule for our Practice one by one or one after another by course or turns they may speak with Tongues and prophesy And though only these two Gifts are particularized in the Rule yet the Order stands for all the rest as having relation to it The universal Practice of all Christians allows this Order in the Gift of Doctrine and we our selves in the Gift of Prayer that but one is to pray at once And therefore seeing that this Order is observed in the Gift of Prayer which is not mentioned amongst those several Gifts then surely we must allow the Psalm as one of those Gifts named in the Text and relating to the Rule to be delivered after the same Order appointed for the other Gifts And there is not the least colour of pretence why any should break the Rule in one of these Gifts more than others but that as they are named together and a general Order appointed for their Use and Delivery in the Church so it must be observed for the Psalm as well as for any other of those spiritual Gifts And if I should see a Song delivered by the Gift of the Holy Spirit in this Order I hope I should bloss the Lord for so great a Presence of his Spirit amongst his People VI. Objections Answered First Objection is That Moses and Deborah and Barah sang together with the Children of Israel and therefore it was in use before David 's Time in the Church Answer 1. It is certain that Moses delivered his Song by the Gift of the Holy Spirit and wrote it Exod. 15.1 as he did other Scriptures for a Memorial of Israel's Deliverance to future Ages but that it was then brought in or any part thereof till David's Time to the Levitical Service in the ordinary Worship of God is no where evident Nor can this Singing be any Rule either for Levitical or Gospel-Institution for then we must bring in Dancing as well as Singing for Miriam the Prophetess the Sister of Aaron took a Timbrel in her Hand and all the Women went out after her with Timbrels and with Dances 2. If we should suppose that Moses Miriam and Israel sang vocally together at one and the same time we may rather take it for an extraordinary Exstasy of Mirth Joy and Gladness before the Lord expressed by Dancing as well as Singing as David when he danced before the Ark than for any part of instituted Worship 3. If we should conclude that all Israel did not vocally sing with Moses but those whose Hearts the Lord had touched with a sense of that great Deliverance joined in Spirit with him Acts 2.42 it is no more than what is evident from the like manner of Speech of the three thousand new Converts that continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayer for they did not all vocally pray together nor actually break Bread but joined with and partook of those Ordinances by the Ministry So that if you take it in either sense it will make nothing for the establishing of a vocal Singing together in Gospel-Worship Secondly It is said Judg. 5.1 It is said Then sang Deborah and Barak But Deborah did only vocally sing and Barak joined in Spirit with her in the chiefest part of the Song for how could Barak call himself Deborah saying Vntil that I Deborah arose that I arose a Mother in Israel And it is plain that she only did vocally sing unto the Lord ver 12. Awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a Song Arise Barak and lead thy Captivity captive thou Son of Abinoam Second Objection is That in Saul 's Time Musick was used by the Prophets 1 Sam. 10.5 and therefore why not Singing and Musick too in their Worship Answer Numb 11.16 24 26 Ex. 24.11 As others besides the Levites were Prophets so I do not find that any of those Prophets were Levites to whom alone both the Songs and Musick were afterwards limited as the Ministers thereof in God's Service and there being neither Institution nor Practice of it to be found we have no ground to believe that it was in use in the constant Worship of God before David's Time Third Objection is That if Musick and Singing commences its Date from David's Institution and was to continue for constant Temple-Worship till Temple and Temple-Service was made void by the Coming of Jesus Christ to erect a more spiritual Worship why should not Gospel-Singing
Gospel-manner according to Gospel-Institutions and in a New-Testament-Spirit it is no more accepted of God than it was under the Law to sanctify and purify themselves with eating of Swines Flesh Isa 66.17 and the Abomination c. And as the moral Law of Moses nor the Law written in the Heart of Man by Nature does not discover the way and manner of Gospel-Worship so no essential part of such Worship is meerly Moral without Institution for if it were and on this bottom to be exercised in the Gospel-Church then Moral Persons as such being only in a moral Spirit and destitute of the saving Grace of Christ and Gospel-instituted-Qualifications for Church-Fellowship must be admitted into the Community of the Church and to the vocal Exercise of the Worship of God therein For such Worship and such Persons must naturally go together and cannot be divided So that if this moral Principle be followed in its natural Tendencies and Consequences it will lay Church-Communion common to Believers and such visible Unbelievers and indanger the Overthrow and utter Destruction of the Gospel-Church and the pure spiritual Worship of God therein and lay a foundation for a moral Church-state for meer natural Persons in a meer moral and natural Spirit to exercise moral and natural Worship unto God SECT V. THat Women should not vocally sing in the Worship of God in his Church Par. 1. pag. 21 22. is already shewed in the former Part of this Treatise But because I find that the Truth meeteth with great difficulties to be received though it comes with Divine Authority I shall say something farther here to this particular Head 1 Cor. 14.34 Let your Women keep silence in the Churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the Law This Scripture though it hath such a relation to the following Verse as to forbid the Womens asking of any Question in the Church during the Worship and Service of God therein yet it intends more than barely to restrain them from such a sort of speaking because by the moral Law they are put under subjection to the Men. Gen. 3.16 And therefore seeing that the Moral Law which Christ will have preserved as confirmed by him in his Gospel-Church takes away all Authority from the Woman then surely she must not teach nor admonish the Church of Christ in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs for that is an exercise of Authority The Apostle makes it so 1 Tim. 2.11 Let the Woman learn in silence with all subjection viz. Subjection in all things and ver 12. I suffer not a Woman to teach nor to usurp Authority over the Man but to be in silence So that Christ makes it a Usurpation of Authority for a Woman to teach or to speak or any ways to break her silence in the Church And ver 13. Adam was first formed then Eve And Adam was not deceived but the Woman being deceived was in the transgression And therefore she is not suffered because of her weakness to teach the Man but to shew her Subjection by keeping silence and therefore she must not vocally sing in the Church of God But some will object and say That these Scriptures that forbid Womens teaching and speaking in the Church and that command them to learn in silence do intend only that they should not be the Mouth of the Church as in Prayer and Doctrine to speak to God for them or from God unto them and that in Singing they do neither of these nor teach nor learn and therefore Womens vocal Singing in the Church is not forbidden Answer 1. This Objection and Exposition of these two Texts in favour of Womens Singing cannot possibly be the mind of Christ in them because it is contrary to the letter of those Texts For the Apostle saith indefinitely that Women must not speak nor teach in the Church and therefore we cannot in reason make an exception for their speaking or teaching in Singing any more than in Prayer or other Gifts of the holy Spirit 2. For any to assert that the Peoples vocal Singing together is neither for Learning Teaching nor Admonishing to one another but that this is from the Minister only by his Delivery of the Psalm or Hymn c. is at once to deny the usefulness of their vocal Singing together and thereby to condemn their practice of it for all things are for edifying of the Church as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 14.26 28. How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine let all things be done to edifying that is for building and instruction for our profit And we may see in the Gift of Tongues that if there be no Interpreter he must keep silence in the Church and speak to himself and to God and so in this case of Singing if it be not for the Edification of others to sing together it must not be vocally in the Church And in the former part of this Chapter it is mainly urged that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit should be put forth to the edifying of the Church Ver. 14 15 16 17. as ver 12. Even so ye forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual Gifts seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church 1st To pray and sing in a known Tongue and 2ly To deliver the Psalm the Doctrine and other Gifts of the holy Spirit by course or turns Ver. 27 31. one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted And therefore if the vocal Singing together of the People and of Women be not for the edification of the Church it is unprofitable and so is rejected by the Apostle Nor can such unedifying Singing that is neither for learning teaching nor admonishing one another be that Singing exhorted unto in Col. 3.16 Because that is for teaching and admonishing which is opposite to this Objection and therefore by the plain literal sense of the Text it is overthrown And if you should say that such vocal Singing together is for teaching and admonishing to one another then where are the Learners if all be Teachers and how do the Women learn in silence when all do vocally sing for it is impossible to reconcile such Contradictions of speech as Women's speaking teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs vocally altogether to their not speaking nor teaching but keeping silence and learning in silence in the Church Neither is there any reason to make the whole Church a Mouth which is compared to a Body having many Members as some would have it from Rom. 15.6 That ye may with one Mind and one Mouth glorify God for this cannot be meant of every Member or of the whole Church of Rome vocally together but of their being of one accord in Spirit and by one Mouth viz. of their Minister to glorify God the Father Par. 1.
of Christ in offering your Praises to God contrary to his own appointed Way therein you do worship God in vain and I fear it will be said of you as it was to him that offered the Thank-offering under the Law Levit. 7.11 to 19. which was to be eaten on the first and second Days and if any of the Flesh of the Sacrifice of his Peace or Thank-offering were eaten at all on the third Day that it shall not be accepted neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it it shall be an Abomination and that Soul shall bear his Iniquity 5thly and lastly It is the Duty of all and of every individual Christian studiously to judg of the Doctrine delivered to them whether it be of Man or of God and to conform to the Authority of the Holy Scripture as the noble Bereans did Acts 17.10 11. who searched the Scriptures daily whether those things preached by Paul and Silas were so or no. And I am perswaded that it is for want of Zeal and Love to the Truths of Christ and through that slothful and idle Spirit attending so many Christians that the Errors of Men do so prevail But to leave what I have said I do beseech you courteous Reader christianly to overlook that Weakness you may espy in my Delivery and seriously to take notice not so much of that as of the main of this Subject without straining my Words beyond the drift and design of the body of my Discourse and to consider that the Authority of the Holy Scriptures is repugnant to such formal and customary Singing herein mentioned and treated of not with any Design to move Controversies or trouble others but to prevent the Divisions that possibly may arise amongst our selves through the Endeavours of some Persons to promote this Error in our Churches And as I hope the Lord hath engaged my Heart herein so he will bless my poor Endeavours to settle the Minds of my wavering Brethren and to prevent any farther Incroachments of this Error which hath been so generally rejected by us for many Years FINIS ERRATA Page 45. line 8. for formerly read formally P. 47. near the end in Margent add the Text Luke 4.17 c. ADVERTISEMENT There is now coming forth a Book intitled A Treatise of the Holy Trinunity in two Parts The First asserteth the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Vnity of Essence with God the Father The Second in Defence of the former answereth the chiefest Objections made against this Doctrine By J. M. Chap. I. THE Case is briefly stated Chap. II. Sheweth that there is but one God the Creator and Former of all things Chap. III. Asserteth a Plurality of Divine Subsistences Chap. IV. Of the Father Chap. V. Proveth the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ 1. By his Names 2. That God in the Old Testament in divers Places is Christ in the New 3. By seven particular Texts of Holy Scriptures 4. That Christ pre-existed his Incarnation in his Divine Nature and is no Angel incarnate but is Coeternal with the Father 5. His Deity is proved by his Works And 6. By Divine Worship given to him Chap. VI. Proveth the Deity of the Holy Ghost 1. That he is a Person 2. His Deity is asserted from several Texts of Scripture 3. By his Works 4. By Divine Worship given to him Chap. VII Proveth the Unity of the Holy Trinity Chap. VIII Containeth some Explications of the Holy Trinunity 1. Of the essential Being of God 2. Of the Divine Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit 3. Of the Distinctions of the Divine Nature and the Persons and some Shadows by way of Comparison of the incomparable and inconceivable Being of God and of the Union of Christ's two Natures PART II. Chap. I. Answereth Objections against the Scriptural Proofs of Christ's Deity Chap. II. Answers to Objections drawn from several Texts of Scriptures Chap. III. Answers to several Arguments against the Deity of Christ Chap. IV. Answers to several Objections against the Scriptures that prove the Deity of the Holy Ghost Chap. V. Answers to some Objections drawn from divers Scriptures to disprove the Deity of the Holy Spirit Chap. VI. Answers to some Scriptures from whence our Adversaries assert that the Father only is the true God With a general Answer and Conclusion Price bound one Shilling AN APPENDIX TO THE FORMER DISCOURSE Concerning SINGING in the Worship of GOD in the Gospel-Church IN the former Part of my Discourse on this Subject I laid a Foundation according to the proportion of Faith which I received from the Light of the holy Scriptures and have asserted something of the nature manner and order of Singing agreeable to the Dispensations of the Mind and Will of God unto his People both under the Old and New Testaments And finding my self concerned in the defence of the Truth of Christ which some have erred from in their practice of formal Singing I shall farther treat on this Subject for the better clearing of it from divers things that lie in the way of some Christians establishment in the Truth SECT I. 1. I Shall premise That to praise God or praising of God is not confined to Songs of Praise but that there are other ways and manners of praising God than with such melodious Singing as in Psal 145.10 All thy Works shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee and in Psal 148. throughout the whole Creation is required to praise God for he commanded and they were created Their very Being and Subsistence and the order of Nature is a Praise to the glorious Wisdom and Power of God And David saith Psal 50.23 Whoso offereth Praise glorifieth me viz. God And as praising God is glorifying honouring and magnifying of him so also is glorifying God often put for the same as praising of him which in the following Scriptures do also differ from that of Singing as in Mat. 21.16 where the Children crying Hosanna to the Son of David that is Save now is by Christ called Praise and Luke 19.37 The whole Multitude of the Disciples began to rejoyce and praise God saying Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest And this praising God and Glory in the Highest is in Matthew and Mark said to be crying Hosanna to the Son of David Hosanna in the highest And Luke 18.43 And immediately he received his Sight and followed him glorifying God and all the People when they saw it gave Praise unto God And Acts 3.8 9. The lame Man walking and leaping praised God And also Thanking 2 Cor. 4.15 chap. 9.11 to end Phil. 4.16 chap. 1.3 4. 1 Thes 1.2 Phil. 1.4 is glorifying or praising God which is by the ordinary Gift of the Spirit always to be mixt with Prayer as Paul did making mention of the Saints with Thanksgiving always in every Prayer and therefore as God is thus praised
pag. 31. like as in Acts 4.24 which is fully opened before Object There hath been Women Prophetesses who have prophesied in the Church and it is said that their Sons and their Daughters shall prophesy and accordingly we have mention made of Womens praying and prophesying and wherefore may they not vocally sing as well as pray and prophesy Answ First It is doubtless lawful and the duty of Women to improve the several Graces of the holy Spirit and that if their Hearts are raised by such a Gift of the Spirit in the joy of the holy Ghost they may sing as well as pray and prophesy but none of these must be done by them in the assembly of the Church for part of the instituted vocal Worship of God therein For I see no ground to believe that any of those Women Prophetesses sent of God and mentioned under the Old Testament did ever deliver their Prophecies to the People in a Church-ministerial way and order but as they were inspired by the holy Ghost and as occasion offered so they delivered the Word of God 2 Chron. 34.22 as the Prophetess Huldâ—â— did to Hilkiah and other Messengers which Josiah the King sent unto her And as Anna did who though she delivered her Prophecy to the People in the Temple yet it was not as part of the instituted constant legal Temple-Worship for that was appropriated only to the Priests and Levites but she accidentally coming in at the same instant while Simeon was testifying of Christ she also spake of him unto all them that waited for Redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2.27 28. 2. Though there is mention made of Women's praying and prophesying in 1 Cor. 11.5 yet this cannot be meant of Prayer and Prophesy in the publick Worship and Service of God in the Gospel-Church for that is not lawful as hath been shewed for though they have the benefit and may partake and put themselves under all the Ordinances and Priviledges excepting those that relate to Government in the Church yet Women must not administer any publick vocal Worship therein and therefore it is spoken of more private Prayer and Prophesy out of the Church in their Families or otherwise as they were spirited and occasion presented as Aquila and Priscilla expounded the Way of God more perfectly to Apollos Acts 18.26 or as Elizabeth by the holy Ghost blessed Mary or as Philip's four Daughters who did prophesy as it is most probable in their Father's House Acts 21.8 or as those Prophetesses before cited under the Old Testament And therefore if Womens praying and prophesying expresly mentioned in the Scriptures cannot be understood of their vocal exercise in the constant Worship of God instituted in his Church then surely there can be no reason given for their vocal Singing in the constant Service of God when there is no such mention made of it as there is of their praying and prophesying in the New Testament SECT VI. AS to those prophetical places in the Psalms Psal 96.1 2. and 100.1 2. c. of all the Earth's Singing unto the Lord it is not worth my labour to answer unto them in particular seeing there is so much in the former part of this Treatise to reconcile them to the Truth in hand and therefore I shall only say That inasmuch as the Apostles sound went into all the Earth Rom. 10.18 and their Words unto the Ends of the World viz. of the known World and that there was then the Spiritual Gift of vocall Singing those Scriptures may be applied to that primitive Gospel-time but their more compleat fulfilling shall be in the great Sabbath which I believe will be the seventh 1000 years of the World which is that Rest that remains to the People of God Heb. 4.9 Isa 52.9 Psal 96 97 98. so much prophesied of throughout the Scriptures when the whole Earth shall be at rest and quiet and shall break forth into Singing SECT VII IF it be lawful to premeditate on the matter of Prayer we may also as well premeditate on the matter of Singing and if such premeditated matter of Prayer and Singing may be delivered in the Worship of God and limited to those premeditated Words wherefore is it not lawful to use prescribed Forms Answ First This Argument takes that for granted which is no wise to be granted viz. that vocal Prayers and consequently Singing may be limited to premeditated Words True it is lawful to premeditate on the matter of Prayer for if we deny this we cannot go to God in that Duty with a sense of our wants upon our Hearts and that the same wants which we are sensible of before we pray may and ought to be spread at the Throne of Grace in Prayer but yet we are not to limit our selves in Prayer to any premeditated matter nor words before Prayer For though our wants or the matter of Prayer be thought on before Prayer yea and it may be sent up to Heaven by inward Prayer before we come to our vocal Duty as we should always strive to maintain the Workings of Grace in our Hearts either in Prayer or Praises to God or otherwise for the improving of our selves in the Knowledg of spiritual things yet we should not form that premeditated matter to tye our selves in those very words to express our Minds no God in the Duty of vocal Prayer for tho such premeditated words may express our present Requests as fitly as any others yet to limit our selves to them is a quenching of the holy Spirit in that our Hearts are ingaged and limited to the matter of those words only otherwise our Hearts are either idle or differing from our Lips which is Confusion whereby we are barred from any farther Inlargings on the same or other new matter that may be presented to us by the various Workings and Leadings of the Spirit of Christ in us while we are praying and therefore as we experience and own such a thing as the various Workings and Leadings of the holy Spirit sometimes in Prayer we must then deny the use of limited Forms of Words to be lawful for in Prayer we are sometimes broken in Spirit under a sense of our Sins and have our Hearts chiefly ingaged in humble Supplications for the Pardon of them and at other times our Faith is most active to lay hold on the precious Promises and to plead with God and when the Spirit raises our Souls in a sense of the Mercies and Grace of God to us in Christ Jesus and sheddeth the Love of God abroad in our Hearts then our Mourning is turned into Thansgivings and Praises by the Spirit Now such various Workings as these might not all be on the Heart in Premeditations Rom. 9.1 2. Chap. 10.1 and Chap. 5.2 3. Ephes 1.15 16 17 18. Chap. 3.14 16. Phil. 1.3 4. as they may pass on the Soul in one single Duty of Prayer as may be collected from these Scriptures From whence we